Werner’s Walk-Off: Rooster Tails Rally in Extras to Beat AquaSox
A tightly played game in the first nine innings gave way to a wild finish Friday night at Gesa Stadium, where Werner Blakely’s walk-off two-out double in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (10-18 2H) a 5-4 win over the Everett AquaSox (12-16 2H) to
A tightly played game in the first nine innings gave way to a wild finish Friday night at Gesa Stadium, where Werner Blakely’s walk-off two-out double in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (10-18 2H) a 5-4 win over the Everett AquaSox (12-16 2H) to even the series at two games apiece.
The game-winning hit came after the team, playing as the Columbia River Rooster Tails, had rallied from down 4-2 going to their last at-bat to tie the game a second time in extra innings. Blakely, whose errant mishandling of a fly ball in the top of the 11th inning helped Everett to take a two-run lead, strode to the plate with LF Caleb Ketchup standing at second after drawing a two-out walk and stealing his 38th base of the season. 2B Andy Blake also walked, putting him at first behind Ketchup, and the count got to 1-1 on Blakely.
AquaSox reliever Joseph Hernandez (2-1) threw a pitch that the left-hand hitting outfielder crushed on a line to the right field fence. The ball hit the wall in fair territory, giving Ketchup plenty of time to score and setting off a joyous celebration of the team’s second walk-off win and first extra innings win of 2024. Lefty Nick Mondak (1-1) pitched the 11th and got the win for Columbia River, striking out a pair in his inning of work.
Earlier in the inning, 1B Matt Coutney had tied the game by scoring on a sacrifice fly from C Juan Flores to bring the Rooster Tails back tied at 4-4. The home nine got their first run of the 11th when 3B Chad Stevens, the automatic runner starting the inning at second base, scored on a two-base throwing error by AquaSox 2B Michael Arroyo. Coutney tagged up twice in the inning, first hustling on a flyout from DH Cam Williams to slide in under the tag at third and then beating the throw from left on the sac fly.
The game entered extra innings tied 1-1, with Coutney lacing an RBI single to left-center to score CF Joe Redfield for a 1-0 Columbia River lead in the bottom of the 1st. Everett’s reply came in the top of the 5th when SS Josh Hood, who had lined a two-out triple the opposite way to extend the inning, got home on an infield single by LF Jared Sundstrom to tie things up.
The teams then traded sacrifice flies in the 10th, Hood for the AquaSox and SS Adrian Placencia for the Rooster Tails, to send the 2,814 fans at the park to the wilder 11th inning. Everett 3B Caleb Cali lined a two-run double down the right field line to give his team the lead before Columbia River turned the tide to take the win.
Rooster Tails starter Ryan Costeiu went 4.2 innings and struck out a season-high eight batters, part of the team’s 19 strikeouts on the night from the mound.
Game five between Columbia River and Everett takes place at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night at Gesa Stadium where postgame fireworks, presented this weekend by Pro Made Homes, will light up the Tri-night skies. The Rooster Tails send right-hander Joel Hurtado (7-5, 4.73 ERA) to the mound, and the AquaSox list righty Marcelo Perez (2-6, 6.99 ERA) as their scheduled starter.
Broadcast coverage of the game will begin with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. both here and on the MiLB app, with video coverage on Bally Live and MiLB.tv.
Tickets for the Rooster Tails weekend are on sale now with special ticket rates available for groups of 20 or more. For more information on Dust Devils single game, season, mini-plan (11, 22, 33) and group tickets, visit the team’s official ticketing site, dustdevilsbaseball.com.